KEY POINTS:
For all you pop pickers, topping the vintage charts for now more than 60 years are the top French crus of 1945. These may still be the dream wines of vintage devotees, but much has changed in winemaking since this venerated year, and some are going so far as to declare the vintage chart dead.
In New Zealand, the 2007 vintage is now a common sight in wine stores as a swathe of youthful sauvignons and unoaked 07 whites oust those from last year. Drinkers are clamouring for a taste of the new season's offerings, but how much attention should be paid to the year on the label?
It all depends on the wine. Warm dry climates, such as much of Australia and South America, have quite uniform growing seasons, which means less variation from year to year.
Cooler climes like ours can produce far greater fluctuations in quality and style between vintages. Such areas tend to make their best wines in warmer years. This is especially true of red varieties, such as cabernet sauvignon, which sometimes struggles to ripen in a chilly season. Quality can also be affected by rain at harvest, which can dilute the grapes and cause rot.
But modern viticultural and winemaking techniques have largely eliminated truly vile vintages. Today, a mediocre rather than good vintage is more likely to result in wines that are good rather than great, but will rarely be undrinkable. A good producer can excel even in an extreme year, making a trusted name on a label often far more noteworthy than the date.
In recent years, the size of the harvest has been the most variable element in New Zealand vintages. Frosts and cool weather at flowering can reduce crops which, while painful for the grower, can be great for quality as fewer grapes on each vine results in increased concentration.
Vintage variation is given the greatest scrutiny within fine wine, particularly those from a classic cool region such as Bordeaux, where assessments of the quality of each vintage determine a wine's price for that year. The top wines are also made to age - strong vintages are able to evolve over the years into delicious maturity, while lesser ones go the way of all declining wines, in losing their fruit and failing to gain attractive aged characters.
But when it comes to everyday wines, winemakers are heeding the fact that most are downed within 24 hours of purchase and so are making them in styles suited for early consumption. Consistency is also a goal, particularly by the big brands. This makes the main role of the vintage date on most wines purely an indication of freshness.
Freshness is certainly important in appreciation of New Zealand's favourite variety, sauvignon blanc. Vintage-spotting is useful with wines that tend to be most attractive in their aromatic youth to ensure you catch them in their first couple of years when most are at their best.
The vintage chart may not be as relevant as it once was, but some of the most interesting wines from the 2007 vintage will be those which differ subtly from those made by the same producer last year. For me vintage variation is still an exciting element of wine, so long may it live.
VINTAGE VARIETY
Wild South Marlborough Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2007 $26.90
Reserve sauvignons tend to have more longevity than their standard counterparts, but I think vibrant styles like this are best drunk young. The Wild South Reserve is a fine example of a sauvignon from the 2007 vintage, which at this stage in its life is all pungent gooseberries and herbs, supported by ripe passionfruit and guava.
From Glengarry and selected fine stores.
Mount Difficulty Roaring Meg Central Otago Pinot Noir 2006 $27.95
This new release of the second wine from Mount Difficulty was made for drinking in all its youthful fruity splendour. This dynamic beaut leaps across the palate with its fresh morello cherry fruit, chocolatey richness and velvety texture.
From Glengarry, First Glass, La Barrique, Millar & Co.
Te Awa Boundary 2002 $39
Age lets Bordeaux blends such as Te Awa's impressive Boundary integrate and soften. This has developed into a refined spicy and savoury creature with a melt-in-the-mouth texture and mature notes interleaved with the bramble and dark plum fruit retained from its youth.
From Fine Wine Delivery Company, Wine Vault, Point Wines, Millar & Co.
